Our Youth Ministry has a blog for our summer missions trips to Brooklyn, Jamaica, and Mexico. Please check it out!
www.gymsoxsummermissions.blogspot.com.
Cheers,
Casey
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
This is everyone's Call!
Some people say, "I'm not called to do missions." Well, J-Money disagrees because he's read the gospels. Check this out! Trust me, it's worth every second!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Prayer Requests
Hello family and friends,
We were so privileged to share this weekend in our church Grace Community, and shared some requests for prayer that we have right now. We thought we would blog about them all and ask you to continue to pray for these needs.
Love,
Sarah
Antoine, a support group leader at Living Hope, with his family. He is a refugee from the Congo and has been suffering under the violence towards refugees recently in the townships of Cape Town
Angela (on right), is a support group leader for Living Hope and is a refugee from Zimbabwe. She is also suffering currently from the violence towards refugees in South Africa.
Hilary Adonis, the woman who co-lead the HIV support group with me in the Oceanview township. She is an ANGEL, and continues to love and teach so many in Oceanview.
Here are the leaders in the Red Hill township with Casey.
A college student at State, who has gone through Grace's youth ministry, is currently serving in South Africa with Living Hope. Her name is Anna Bradsure, she is AWESOME, and we are so excited she is sharing in this place we love! She has a great blog at: http://annassouthafricanadventure.blogspot.com/
Continued problems in the country of Zimbabwe, check out this article:
http://www.newsobserver.com/nation_world/story/1096945.html
We will continue to update the blog throughout the summer about what is happening in Cape Town and how you can be praying for our incredible friends!
We were so privileged to share this weekend in our church Grace Community, and shared some requests for prayer that we have right now. We thought we would blog about them all and ask you to continue to pray for these needs.
Love,
Sarah
Antoine, a support group leader at Living Hope, with his family. He is a refugee from the Congo and has been suffering under the violence towards refugees recently in the townships of Cape Town
Angela (on right), is a support group leader for Living Hope and is a refugee from Zimbabwe. She is also suffering currently from the violence towards refugees in South Africa.
Hilary Adonis, the woman who co-lead the HIV support group with me in the Oceanview township. She is an ANGEL, and continues to love and teach so many in Oceanview. 
Here are the leaders in the Red Hill township with Casey. A college student at State, who has gone through Grace's youth ministry, is currently serving in South Africa with Living Hope. Her name is Anna Bradsure, she is AWESOME, and we are so excited she is sharing in this place we love! She has a great blog at: http://annassouthafricanadventure.blogspot.com/
Continued problems in the country of Zimbabwe, check out this article:
http://www.newsobserver.com/nation_world/story/1096945.html
We will continue to update the blog throughout the summer about what is happening in Cape Town and how you can be praying for our incredible friends!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Book Review
"Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Reviewed by Sarah
I recently finished Nelson Mandela's autobiography and want to recommend it to all of you! Nelson Mandela has an incredible life story as he fought the oppression and injustices of apartheid. Twenty-seven years of his life were spent in jail as a prisoner just for his political affiliation with the African National Congress party in South Africa. Even while a prisoner, Mandela always stood up for his own dignity and led his people out of a dark history. In 1994 Nelson Mandela was elected as president of South Africa in the country's first democratic election. This simple, humble, but profound book is a beautiful depiction of Mandela's life journey towards greatness. I thoroughly recommend it!
Overall Grade: A
Reviewed by Sarah
I recently finished Nelson Mandela's autobiography and want to recommend it to all of you! Nelson Mandela has an incredible life story as he fought the oppression and injustices of apartheid. Twenty-seven years of his life were spent in jail as a prisoner just for his political affiliation with the African National Congress party in South Africa. Even while a prisoner, Mandela always stood up for his own dignity and led his people out of a dark history. In 1994 Nelson Mandela was elected as president of South Africa in the country's first democratic election. This simple, humble, but profound book is a beautiful depiction of Mandela's life journey towards greatness. I thoroughly recommend it!
Overall Grade: A
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Prayer Requested
We should have posted this and requested prayer for these people over a week ago, but I'm just now thinking of it.
South Africa is struggling right now with a giant case of xenophobia. Xenophobia is basically when you have a fear or hatred towards things that are foreign. In the township areas of South Africa many foreign refugees are making their homes there. They are leaving politically unstable and war-ridden areas like Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Malawi, and especially Zimbabwe. Recently the local South Africans have been threatening violence and mistreating the refugees because they are taking some of their jobs. It's known in these communities that often the refugees work harder and are more trustworthy then the locals because of their desire to create a new life for themselves and their families. Many local South Africans forget that during the worst periods of Apartheid that their citizens found refuge in these same nations that are now counting on them.
Because of this rise in violence that grew over the last two weeks many refugees are feeling pressured to return home. Many have sought shelter and safety in churches in their areas.
What was amazing at the end of last week and this weekend was that regular people started standing up and saying that this mistreatment wasn't right. They held marches and demonstrated. The churches really came to people's aid and provided for them. (King of Kings, the church that started Living Hope, hosted around 150 refugees.) But there is still a lot of unrest and bad feelings. Please pray that God would move in that situation and that communities can come together.
We were able to get pretty close to some refugees during our time there. One woman, Angela, from Zimbabwe, and Antoine and his wife Matty from the Congo. They are special to us but they are really trusting God now. They left really dangerous situations in their home nations hoping to find refuge in SA. We hope they will find it there.
South Africa is struggling right now with a giant case of xenophobia. Xenophobia is basically when you have a fear or hatred towards things that are foreign. In the township areas of South Africa many foreign refugees are making their homes there. They are leaving politically unstable and war-ridden areas like Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Malawi, and especially Zimbabwe. Recently the local South Africans have been threatening violence and mistreating the refugees because they are taking some of their jobs. It's known in these communities that often the refugees work harder and are more trustworthy then the locals because of their desire to create a new life for themselves and their families. Many local South Africans forget that during the worst periods of Apartheid that their citizens found refuge in these same nations that are now counting on them.
Because of this rise in violence that grew over the last two weeks many refugees are feeling pressured to return home. Many have sought shelter and safety in churches in their areas.
What was amazing at the end of last week and this weekend was that regular people started standing up and saying that this mistreatment wasn't right. They held marches and demonstrated. The churches really came to people's aid and provided for them. (King of Kings, the church that started Living Hope, hosted around 150 refugees.) But there is still a lot of unrest and bad feelings. Please pray that God would move in that situation and that communities can come together.
We were able to get pretty close to some refugees during our time there. One woman, Angela, from Zimbabwe, and Antoine and his wife Matty from the Congo. They are special to us but they are really trusting God now. They left really dangerous situations in their home nations hoping to find refuge in SA. We hope they will find it there.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
We be sharin'
If you would like to hear more about our trip and some of the specific things that God taught us then join us next weekend at our church, Grace Community.
We'll be preaching for the weekend services on Saturday at 5:30pm and Sunday at 9:15am and 11am. On Sunday night at 7pm we'll be sharing more reflections at the End-of-the-Year celebration for the Youth Ministry. For this event we will be sharing some videos, pictures, and different lessons from the morning services. This time is open to anybody that would like to join us.
If there is anything that you specifically want to know more about leave us a post on the blog or email us. That way we can tailor what we are sharing around some of the things that you all are interested in. God did so much, taught us so much, and allowed us to experience so much. It will be a difficult challenge this week to narrow that down!
By the way, today, May 25th, is our 6th Wedding Anniversary and Sarah's 28th Birthday!! Can you believe she put up with me for this long?!?! She has made such a major impact on my life. I wouldn't be half the man I am without her! But of course, all of you already know that.
Cheers,
Casey & Sarah
We'll be preaching for the weekend services on Saturday at 5:30pm and Sunday at 9:15am and 11am. On Sunday night at 7pm we'll be sharing more reflections at the End-of-the-Year celebration for the Youth Ministry. For this event we will be sharing some videos, pictures, and different lessons from the morning services. This time is open to anybody that would like to join us.
If there is anything that you specifically want to know more about leave us a post on the blog or email us. That way we can tailor what we are sharing around some of the things that you all are interested in. God did so much, taught us so much, and allowed us to experience so much. It will be a difficult challenge this week to narrow that down!
By the way, today, May 25th, is our 6th Wedding Anniversary and Sarah's 28th Birthday!! Can you believe she put up with me for this long?!?! She has made such a major impact on my life. I wouldn't be half the man I am without her! But of course, all of you already know that.
Cheers,
Casey & Sarah
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Book Review- Confessions of an Eco Sinner by Fred Pearce
This is the last book that I read before we left South Africa. It's apparently the imported version, but Amazon leads me to believe that there is an American version coming out soon.
The story is of a London journalist who sets off on a crusade to learn about the origins of all of his stuff. His food, clothes, electronics, and energy. Everything! It's interesting to see, especially as a Westerner how far and wide our consumption stretches. We use and waste so much of the earth's natural resources, so it gets sad at times. He does a good job of not just finding out where his t-shirt is sewn, but finds out where the cotton was grown, and what it took to grow it and move all of the materials around.
It's a pretty balanced view on all of it. He also points out where he often falls short in protecting the environment (including flying all over the world to write the book). He also, though, really digs deeper into things like fair trade and carbon offsets. Things that we believe on face value, but aren't always as they promise.
If you have any interest in the environment and don't mind a little guilt, you'll enjoy this. The only missing part for me was that most of it was focused on the waste and consumption of the UK and not the US. I'm assuming the new version will have more of an American focus.
Overall Grade: B
The story is of a London journalist who sets off on a crusade to learn about the origins of all of his stuff. His food, clothes, electronics, and energy. Everything! It's interesting to see, especially as a Westerner how far and wide our consumption stretches. We use and waste so much of the earth's natural resources, so it gets sad at times. He does a good job of not just finding out where his t-shirt is sewn, but finds out where the cotton was grown, and what it took to grow it and move all of the materials around.
It's a pretty balanced view on all of it. He also points out where he often falls short in protecting the environment (including flying all over the world to write the book). He also, though, really digs deeper into things like fair trade and carbon offsets. Things that we believe on face value, but aren't always as they promise.
If you have any interest in the environment and don't mind a little guilt, you'll enjoy this. The only missing part for me was that most of it was focused on the waste and consumption of the UK and not the US. I'm assuming the new version will have more of an American focus.
Overall Grade: B
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Here are some pictures of our last full day in Cape Town, Tuesday. The week was VERY full with seeing friends, finishing up ministry and projects, and saying many goodbyes. We know we are SO blessed to have made such great friends in Cape Town and are so thankful for all the people we were able to minister with and to.
These are pictures of Sarah's last support group meeting in Oceanview. The group had a goodbye party for Sarah and Casey complete with prayers, gifts, and many well-wishes. It was a beautiful day!
Sarah and Angelique
Casey and Donovan
Sarah and Glenthia, with the pillow she made us - so sweet!
Casey with Alleta's daughter, Jodie. They were, of course, fast friends
Here are some pics from our last day in Red Hill, the township where Casey most worked with the kids and teens. They had a surprise good-bye party for us with songs, prayers, and a feast! It was so special!
Last dinner with great friends, Mike and Meg Massingham and Mike Jenkins
Our friends at home created all these cards of encouragement and prayers and we opened them throughout the trip. Each one was posted on our closet! We love you all - thanks for all your support!!
These are pictures of Sarah's last support group meeting in Oceanview. The group had a goodbye party for Sarah and Casey complete with prayers, gifts, and many well-wishes. It was a beautiful day!
Sarah and Angelique
Casey and Donovan
Sarah and Glenthia, with the pillow she made us - so sweet!
Casey with Alleta's daughter, Jodie. They were, of course, fast friends
Here are some pics from our last day in Red Hill, the township where Casey most worked with the kids and teens. They had a surprise good-bye party for us with songs, prayers, and a feast! It was so special!
Last dinner with great friends, Mike and Meg Massingham and Mike Jenkins
Our friends at home created all these cards of encouragement and prayers and we opened them throughout the trip. Each one was posted on our closet! We love you all - thanks for all your support!!
We are HOME!
Hey everyone!
I am typing this blog update from my blessed and beautiful couch - praise the Lord! We are home safe and sound! We were greeted in our home to flowers, a cleaned house, a decorated Mexican fiesta, and a groomed Lance, among other things. What an incredible community we have here! Thanks for your prayers of getting us home! We look forward to catching up with everyone this week and will be updating with final pictures and thoughts this coming week.
Lots of love!
Sarah
I am typing this blog update from my blessed and beautiful couch - praise the Lord! We are home safe and sound! We were greeted in our home to flowers, a cleaned house, a decorated Mexican fiesta, and a groomed Lance, among other things. What an incredible community we have here! Thanks for your prayers of getting us home! We look forward to catching up with everyone this week and will be updating with final pictures and thoughts this coming week.
Lots of love!
Sarah
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Half-way Home
Hey everyone,
Sorry we haven't had much of an update this week, our computer is evidently getting tired, so we have not been able to post the pics we wanted to. They will come next week, as we ended our time with many great times with the friends we have made here. I feel like we keep saying the same thing, but we are SO BLESSED by the relationships we have formed and the people we were able to minister to here. We feel so full of blessings and grace. God has been abudantly good to us here. We have made half of our trip home, we are now in Amsterdam for 27 hours. We fly back out tomorrow, and get to Raleigh Friday night. It is a beautiful day in the Netherlands, and we really reccomend Amsterdam if you love bicycles, cafes, canals, or hippies. We made one wrong turn into some shady areas, but serious this place is cool. So we are decompressing and taking lots of deep breaths. We will update this weekend (or ASAP) with final pictures and thoughts from our trip.
Thanks for all your support! Love you all!
Sarah and Casey
Sorry we haven't had much of an update this week, our computer is evidently getting tired, so we have not been able to post the pics we wanted to. They will come next week, as we ended our time with many great times with the friends we have made here. I feel like we keep saying the same thing, but we are SO BLESSED by the relationships we have formed and the people we were able to minister to here. We feel so full of blessings and grace. God has been abudantly good to us here. We have made half of our trip home, we are now in Amsterdam for 27 hours. We fly back out tomorrow, and get to Raleigh Friday night. It is a beautiful day in the Netherlands, and we really reccomend Amsterdam if you love bicycles, cafes, canals, or hippies. We made one wrong turn into some shady areas, but serious this place is cool. So we are decompressing and taking lots of deep breaths. We will update this weekend (or ASAP) with final pictures and thoughts from our trip.
Thanks for all your support! Love you all!
Sarah and Casey
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Tears Begin...
Hey eveyone,
We will post a bit more tomorrow, just wanted to ask for your prayers as we finish our time here. We have only one full day left - ahh!! Today we said goodbye to my support group and the kids at Red Hill, two groups of people that God gave us to love and we are going to miss them! Tears have been shed and it's really beginning to hit us heavy. Tomorrow we are running around saying last goodbyes to more people and getting packed up. Someone teased us today that we are stretching this goodbye thing out pretty long.... guilty as charged. But only 24 hours left and then the plane is waiting!
Love you all!
Sarah
We will post a bit more tomorrow, just wanted to ask for your prayers as we finish our time here. We have only one full day left - ahh!! Today we said goodbye to my support group and the kids at Red Hill, two groups of people that God gave us to love and we are going to miss them! Tears have been shed and it's really beginning to hit us heavy. Tomorrow we are running around saying last goodbyes to more people and getting packed up. Someone teased us today that we are stretching this goodbye thing out pretty long.... guilty as charged. But only 24 hours left and then the plane is waiting!
Love you all!
Sarah
Book Review
“The Church Enslaved: A Spirituality of Racial Reconciliation” by Tony Campolo and Michael Battle
Growing up, I truly think I was unaware of racial issues in America, partly because of growing up visiting my mother’s vibrant Mexican family in California. It wasn’t until high school that I realized the great segregation, in my instance in the South, and how different the ‘cultures’ seemed to be. In my time at seminary, I began to engage my African American friends about issues of race, power, and privilege and was shocked to hear of the dim realities that still pervade our country in regard to prejudice. As I have grown in my understanding of God’s calling to His church, I recognize that we are to play a role in uniting His people across barriers that once keep them divided. This book is a vision and guide for anyone who longs to see the church in America reconciled racially. It would probably be easier to accept our dissimilarities across cultures and races, and just declare that we are too different to ever worship together, or we could pronounce that God longs us to be one, even if our styles, histories, and comforts will make us fight for true unity on this side of heaven. Being in South Africa, I see clearly the grief that comes from prejudice and racism, and I think even in America we have many racial issues to still deal with, even if they are not as overt as they were in the 1960’s. I encourage anyone who longs to see the church racially united for all our greater good and fullness of worship, to read this book and begin to put its teachings into practice.
Overall Grade: A
Growing up, I truly think I was unaware of racial issues in America, partly because of growing up visiting my mother’s vibrant Mexican family in California. It wasn’t until high school that I realized the great segregation, in my instance in the South, and how different the ‘cultures’ seemed to be. In my time at seminary, I began to engage my African American friends about issues of race, power, and privilege and was shocked to hear of the dim realities that still pervade our country in regard to prejudice. As I have grown in my understanding of God’s calling to His church, I recognize that we are to play a role in uniting His people across barriers that once keep them divided. This book is a vision and guide for anyone who longs to see the church in America reconciled racially. It would probably be easier to accept our dissimilarities across cultures and races, and just declare that we are too different to ever worship together, or we could pronounce that God longs us to be one, even if our styles, histories, and comforts will make us fight for true unity on this side of heaven. Being in South Africa, I see clearly the grief that comes from prejudice and racism, and I think even in America we have many racial issues to still deal with, even if they are not as overt as they were in the 1960’s. I encourage anyone who longs to see the church racially united for all our greater good and fullness of worship, to read this book and begin to put its teachings into practice.
Overall Grade: A
Updated Flight Times
These are updated flight times provided by our amazing travel agent Betty Rock of Argo Travel. Again, just in case you need them.
14MAY KL 598 CPT AMS 11:25p 10:50a
16MAY NW 57 AMS MEM 2:05p 4:55p
16MAY NW 5718 MEM RDU 6:45p 9:45p
We leave in 36 hours!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!
Cheers,
Casey
14MAY KL 598 CPT AMS 11:25p 10:50a
16MAY NW 57 AMS MEM 2:05p 4:55p
16MAY NW 5718 MEM RDU 6:45p 9:45p
We leave in 36 hours!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!
Cheers,
Casey
Monday, May 12, 2008
Hey everyone!
We had a great weekend and thought we would share some pictures of all we did. So fun!
Just trying to enjoy all the last moments with these awesome people! Love you all!
Sarah
Sarah with Benadette, Robin, Amy, and Iver - a family in Oceanview
Casey speaking to the youth group at Oceanview Community Church
Beautiful view at our house at Betty's Bay, where we stayed with the Torrances and other friends
Casey and Cameron
Party with the Life Skill Educators at the Prince's
Casey with Clinton and Vernille
Sarah with Nathan's daughter
We had a great weekend and thought we would share some pictures of all we did. So fun!
Just trying to enjoy all the last moments with these awesome people! Love you all!
Sarah
Sarah with Benadette, Robin, Amy, and Iver - a family in Oceanview
Casey speaking to the youth group at Oceanview Community Church
Beautiful view at our house at Betty's Bay, where we stayed with the Torrances and other friends
Casey and Cameron
Party with the Life Skill Educators at the Prince's
Casey with Clinton and Vernille
Sarah with Nathan's daughter
Friday, May 9, 2008
People!
What a great week with so many wonderful people! We have been so blessed to spend great amounts of time this week with many of the people we have grown close to in our time here. We have been invited into the lives of people with many different backgrounds and lives, and we feel that we have learned so much from each of them. Casey has mentioned many of these events this week in his blogs, but each time with these friends is so rich and filled with laughter and joy, it's hard to express it all.
I am soaking up some great time with the support group leaders that I work with this week. I just treasure these incredible people of God! On Monday Casey and I went to an elderly group in Muizenburg. I had been a couple of times and LOVE these ladies - they are spunky, full of wisdom, and very open to learn and grow. They then INSISTED that I bring Casey who they described as a 'hunk' by his picture. They loved their time with him on Monday, and one of the leaders, Grace, now calls Casey 'a hunk for God.' Love it.
"The hunk" with his ladies
Sarah with Grace and Angela - the leaders
Sarah with all the support group women
Then today I planned most of the monthly support group leaders meeting, where all the leaders from the different communities come together for training, encouragement, and to recieve the tea supplies they use when they host their groups. I planned a time of devotion and teaching, all of which was based on scripture the Lord laid on my heart for them. We had a great time of learning, hearing from God's word, and worship. I absoutely loved it. After sharing lunch and a time of prayer as we leave with all the leaders, we had a guest speaker who I was really excited about. His name is Dr. Andy Young, and he is the creator of the flip-chart that I have been training the leaders on. We were able to get him to come in and share his heart and vision about the chart. It was a GREAT day! I just pray these leaders beleive in all God longs to use them for - they are incredible!
I am pretty much exhausted from the week of running around, getting last minute things done, and seeing a LOT of people. Saturday and Sunday we are going to a beach town called Betty's Bay with Evan and Kerryn and some of their friends. We are really looking forward to getting away for a time, resting, reflecting, and having fun.
Tick tock - time is running out!
Love you!
Sarah
I am soaking up some great time with the support group leaders that I work with this week. I just treasure these incredible people of God! On Monday Casey and I went to an elderly group in Muizenburg. I had been a couple of times and LOVE these ladies - they are spunky, full of wisdom, and very open to learn and grow. They then INSISTED that I bring Casey who they described as a 'hunk' by his picture. They loved their time with him on Monday, and one of the leaders, Grace, now calls Casey 'a hunk for God.' Love it.
"The hunk" with his ladies
Sarah with Grace and Angela - the leaders
Sarah with all the support group women
Then today I planned most of the monthly support group leaders meeting, where all the leaders from the different communities come together for training, encouragement, and to recieve the tea supplies they use when they host their groups. I planned a time of devotion and teaching, all of which was based on scripture the Lord laid on my heart for them. We had a great time of learning, hearing from God's word, and worship. I absoutely loved it. After sharing lunch and a time of prayer as we leave with all the leaders, we had a guest speaker who I was really excited about. His name is Dr. Andy Young, and he is the creator of the flip-chart that I have been training the leaders on. We were able to get him to come in and share his heart and vision about the chart. It was a GREAT day! I just pray these leaders beleive in all God longs to use them for - they are incredible!
I am pretty much exhausted from the week of running around, getting last minute things done, and seeing a LOT of people. Saturday and Sunday we are going to a beach town called Betty's Bay with Evan and Kerryn and some of their friends. We are really looking forward to getting away for a time, resting, reflecting, and having fun.
Tick tock - time is running out!
Love you!
Sarah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)